NICE

NICE has published guidance recommending the use of Pfizer’s Lorviqua for a certain form of lung cancer on the NHS. The drug has been recommended, within its marketing authorisation, as an option for treating anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults whose disease has progressed after: alectinib or ceritinib as the

NICE has announced its final draft guidance recommending avatrombopag for routine use on the NHS in England and Wales for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in chronic liver disease patients who require surgery. Avatrombopag has been shown to elevate platelet levels for longer periods than platelet transfusions. The recommendation provides patients with a new treatment option

A final appraisal document has been published indicating the subcutaneous injection as an option for preventing recurrent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients aged 12 and older, meaning that those eligible can now receive the innovative treatment. Although patients will only receive the drug if they are eligible for preventive C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) treatment

NICE have said in a recent statement that Novartis’ gene therapy Luxturna for a rare, inherited form of blindness should be available for routine NHS use in England and Wales. The one-off treatment, which was previously approvedin Europe last November, has been backed by the cost-effectiveness watchdog for use in children and adults living with vision

NICE has published its new draft recommendations on the use of cannabis-based medicinal products, following a comprehensive evaluation of their clinical and cost-effectiveness. The organisation says that the recommendation of fast-tracked guidance follows the re-classification of these products last year to allow specialist doctors to ‘prescribe them where the clinical needs of patients cannot be

NICE has unveiled a long-awaited review of its health technology evaluation methodologies, although a re-think on its core ‘QALY threshold’ approach won’t be included. England’s cost effectiveness watchdog recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and has often had a fractious relationship with the pharma industry over those years, especially when drugs have been rejected because of

Novartis announces Ribociclib has been recommended by the NICE for use on the NHS in combination with fulvestrant, where exemestane plus everolimus is the most appropriate alternative, for treating women with hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have received prior endocrine therapy. Ribociclib in combination

NICE recommends use of Alnylam’s Patisiran, after issuing a preliminary ‘no’ back in December 2018. The treatment is for a progressive, life-threatening disease called hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR amyloidosis), which until recently, was an area of significant unmet need in England. The drug will now provide eligible patients suffering from the disease with a treatment

NICE has issued a new draft antimicrobial prescribing guidance on leg ulcer infections in adults. The guidance comes amid worries that the overuse of antimicrobials is adding to a global threat of worldwide antimicrobial resistance. Recent UN report showed that if left unchecked, antimicrobial resistance could cause as many as 10 million deaths per year

NICE announces the recommendation of Amgen’s blinatumomab for treating acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The indication is for patients in first complete remission with minimal residual disease (MRD) activity of at least 0.1%. This decision to recommend the drug as a cost-effective use of NHS resources was made after the submission of new evidence from the